Old age is not something society tends to view in a glowing and positive way most of the time. Much of the advice concerning old age is about trying not to reach it and pretending that old age is something that won't ever catch up with us.

But old age is a time to be celebrated as much as any other time in the full cycle of life and it's a time when we can find deep self-fulfillment and happiness. For many people, it's the first time in their lives where they have the chance to fully live without being burdened by the expectations and ideas of others who have impacted them throughout life. Yet, it's crucial that you don't confuse self-realization with the mere acting out of external needs, for such needs are short-term and lack deep fulfillment. To be truly happy in the depths of your soul, inner happiness must be cultivated too and it is never too late to learn how.

Steps

1

Don't conform to age stereotypes. If you enjoy something, get out and do it. If health problems interfere, find ways to work around them and still get into the things that matter to you. Associate with groups of diverse people, not all in your age group. Don't think of your life as over, look at your future and plan for it actively. Socializing with young people who share your interests is a good way to keep in balance and avoid getting socially sidelined.

2

Practice the five principles of health. It might be tempting to say you've reached this point of life without worrying about your health habits but your best strategy for avoiding lengthy hospital stays, autonomy-sapping medical care, and bossy nursing home regimes is to look after yourself as much as possible. Treasure the health you have now and give it a boost by making sure that you stick to the five basic principles of health:

Avoid or quit unhealthy substances and habits. If you haven't already done so, now is the ideal time to give up taking drugs, excess alcohol, smoking, and over-eating.

Stay active. There are plenty of sports ideal for the older body, and many of these can also involve being around other people (and beautiful scenery if you choose your exercising location well). Try sports like walking, jogging, swimming, yoga, and aqua aerobics to maintain an optimal fitness level.

Take up meditation. If you're not already meditating, this is the perfect time to start. It will settle your mind and any unrest like nothing else.

3

Aim to be active every day for at least half an hour or one hour. Go walking, jogging, swimming, cycling or do intensive yoga. Visit a health center or have an exercise bike in the comfort of your own place. It could be said that if you sweat once a day, the illness keeps away!

4

Cultivate happiness. In old age, inner happiness must be cultivated. Old age often brings energy loss, disease, a sense of meaninglessness, and worry about external problems over which you have no control. When the nerves are getting weaker, inner positivity is at great risk of declining. In old age, it's necessary to make an effort to cultivate happiness through everyday exercises that can maintain both physical health and strengthen your inner happiness. Make the choice to stay involved with your continued growth rather than giving in to socially condoned decline.

5

Read a spiritual book for one hour each day.There are many good books that can inspire you on your way to inner happiness. All you need to do is choose the ones that align with your own interpretation of spirituality. Reading is the best trainer for maintaining a positive mind and for answering many of your probing questions, and is also a perfect means for controlling your negative thoughts. Being exposed to spiritual writing and passages on a daily basis is uplifting and helps you to continue to hone your sense of purpose. Look for the positive sentences and learn them by heart, or at least say them over to yourself several times. And make a deal with yourself to start every day with a positive vision.

6

Practice yoga and meditation every day for one hour. Awaken your enlightenment energy through meditation. A calm mind is a positive mind, and using yoga and meditation to self calm whenever you feel doubt or unhappiness is an ideal practice. If yoga doesn't work for you, keep looking to find the spiritual exercise which is helpful for you. And be sure to practice daily: You can have every positive religion or philosophy you want, but you must practice it to get the bliss.

7

Have a hobby. Life has purpose when you make choices about the things you want to do and then do them. A hobby is an excellent way to remain fulfilled and interested in what is happening around you. Inevitably, a hobby will always provide a way to reach out to others who are interested in the same hobby as you, thereby increasing your fulfillment through interaction with other people. It doesn't matter what sort of hobby you have, provided it is enjoyable, affordable, and is practiced with restraint.

8

Spend time with friends. You can find friends on the internet, in collaborative projects like wikiHow, in spiritual associations, in social organizations, and through volunteer work. It's a good idea to meet up regularly with one or more people so that you connect and feel part of a greater whole. Spend good times together and speak up if you're not enjoying what you're doing. The time for putting up with things is long gone.

If people pretend to be your friends and hurt you, wish them the best and part ways. There is a time and a place for trying to mend things with people but as you grow older, there is less time and a need for faster acceptance that some relationships are simply not meant to be. Don't sweat it; find the people who fill you with joy and happiness and spend more time with them

9

Love an animal. If you like pets, be sure to have one. The love, comfort, and connection with a pet is as important to you in old age as it was to you at any age. Animals don't judge us the way people too, and animals don't care what our age is, provided we ensure they're well fed, groomed, and loved. Choose a pet that is easy to care for and can be handled by you without a worry.

10

Consider doing positive things for others. This can be a time of life where you're more than happy to give back to others, and you also have the free time to do so. Volunteering, teaching, or guiding can be good ways to pass on your experience, knowledge, and skills to others and in return, you continue to connect with people and to receive the joy of knowing that you are helping others to learn. A part of you will always live on in every person you help and teach, so do good and live in the energy of love.

In doing good for others, you become the mother or father of the world, not just of the children you have parented. This extended family is a privilege of old age, and as your wisdom is treasured by many others, your mind will change into love.

11

Learn to stop fearing dying. Your spiritual exercises are a very important means for helping you to break through the fears and worries that you may hold about death and letting go. Meditation and chanting mantras can also be a source of great comfort. Realize that after your death, you will earn the great benefit of your spiritual old age. You will move into a dimension of light, peace, and love. Even if you don't believe in a life after death, the comfort to be obtained from viewing death spiritually, as a cycle, and accepting it as what is meant to be, will be great.

12

Motivate yourself every day. In old age, thinking can easily become negative because ways are set and change becomes something to be loathed. Yet, giving up is worse than dying; never wanting to learn another thing, never wanting to change another thing allows decay to set in and your old age will lack harmony and purpose. While it's not easy to motivate yourself to exercise each day, to practice your spiritual reading and meditations, and to find the will to cook healthily, these are important sources of re-energizing yourself and of helping you to cope with the changes of life. To help you get motivated, find a helpful phrase that will energize you and cause you to react positively.

What is your helpful phrase? Every day, find a way to re-energize the power to live a positive life. Start the day with spiritual music, a word of a spiritual master or a spiritual exercise like yoga with positive thinking.

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Tips

One day a yogi held a lecture about positive thinking in a senior center. Most of the older people were very negative. But two of them were happy and positive. He asked them for their secret. The positive old lady did three hours of spiritual exercises every day. She meditated, read in a spiritual book and walked for one hour. She said, that her spiritual exercises helped her stay positive to go through difficult times. The positive old man organized positive activities for his old fellow people. That made him feel positive. He lived as a karma-yogi and got therefore love, happiness and a deeper sense in his life. The simple moral of the story is that staying active and thinking about the many more possibilities life still has to share with you are great motivators in keeping positive.

Don't be afraid to join in.

Just live in the moment! Do not take things too seriously and relax.

Read books.

Swami Sivananda[1] taught, "Sadhana is any spiritual practice that helps people to realize themselves. Sadhana is the highest wealth. It is the only thing that has lasting value."

Don't complain.

Warnings

Making a choice to "be old" is the most debilitating thing that you can do to yourself. Our body may age but our mind can continue to remain sharp and alert should we choose to care for it and believe in our own ability to stay fit, agile, and connected.